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Aim  Both floral kingdoms and faunal regions have so far been intuitively defined. This study was conducted to compare these with an analytical regionalization based on cluster analyses in a fairly homogeneous, globally distributed group of organisms: the bats (order Chiroptera). This comparison was used to discuss the possibilities of employing clustering techniques in global biogeography.

Location  The study considered bat distributions world‐wide.

Methods  Analyses were conducted both for presence/absence of genera and species, and for the number of species in each genus. Clusters distinguished at selected dissimilarity values were mapped.

Results  A set of c. 10 regional clusters recurred in the analyses, broadly corresponding not only to the world's accepted faunal regions and subregions, but also to the floral kingdoms and subkingdoms.

Main conclusions  This study is an analytical confirmation …